Posts from ‘July, 2007’

A ride on the Star Ferry

star-ferry1.gif

Step back to a bygone era and ride the Star Ferry across Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour for an amazingly cheap and fun trip from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. With trips starting at only $2.20 HK each way you can cross one of the world’s most amazing waterways where you will see the skyscrapers of this bustling city and the rugged backdrop of the island’s mountains. The ferry service has been operating for over 100 years with the most popular service being between Central on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon, boat was the only way of crossing the water until the Cross Harbour Tunnel was opened in 1972. There are 12 ferries in service operating on four different routes and over 70,000 people use the services every day.

Read the rest of this entry »

Polar Bears in Paradise

hudson-nelson.gif

The Gold Coast in Queensland’is home to Australia’s only Polar Bears. These magnificent animals are the major drawcard at Seaworld and attract thousands of visitors a day. Seaworld has 3 polar bears Lia a female and the wild boys Hudson and Nelson who were orphaned in Quebec Canada before moving to Queensland in 2004 aged 9 months. The bears live in a magnificent enclosure which has fresh running water, plenty of space and room for fun. Visitors are treated with two viewing areas, one above and a special glassed exhibit where they can see the bears having fun underwater.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Prague John Lennon Wall

john lennon wall

Nearby the Charles Bridge lays a wall which has been devoted to former Beatle John Lennon. Originally it started out as graffiti painted by a Mexican artist after Lennon’s death and it soon became a shrine inspiring more artists to add Lennon, Beatles and peace messages, poetry and paintings. During the Communist rule of the city there were many clashes with security police and students and hippies. The wall was repainted constantly by the authorities only to be repainted again by what the regime called alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism. Today the wall is remembered for helping bring the collapse of Communism to the former Czechoslovakia with the rise of the peaceful Velvet Revolution in November 1989. Today people enjoy the artwork and are often seen singing Beatles songs in the nearby Kampa park without the fear of persecution and risk of having a state paid holiday in the local prison. Read the rest of this entry »

Live the myth in Greece

Greek tourist ministry has released this colourful and vibrant ad to promote their wonderful country. Tourism comprises about 18% of Greece’s economy with many people traveling to see the historic monuments and ruins but there is much more to this country, beaches, sun, food, music and culture are only a few of the things Greece has to offer. Enjoy the Tripandom YouTube video of the week

Read the rest of this entry »

Lying around on pier 39

pier-39-seals.gif

Pier 39 is one of San Francisco’s most popular waterfront attractions and not only popular with people- seals love it too. These blubbery layabouts visited the pier in 1990 and have now taken over the entire dock space during winter the barking herd numbers close to 900.
The 45 acre Pier 39 has so much to offer along with the seals there are attractions, restaurants and plenty of novelty shopping. Houdini’s Magic Shop and Le beastro’s Dog Boutique are two of the favorites. There is always something going on at the pier, with performances, buskers and special events happening daily.

Read the rest of this entry »

Crikey! what a zoo!

croc.gif

Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter is no longer with us but he has left behind one of the worlds most beautiful zoos. This interactive zoo is located on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia about an hours drive north of Brisbane. Set in thickly planted palms and bushland are some of the world’s most amazing animals including Elephants, Tigers, Koalas, Kangaroos and of course plenty of reptiles including the saltwater crocodile. The zoo gives visitors a once in a live time chance to get up close and touch some of the rare and endangered animals including a chance to feed the three Asian Elephants. There are shows in the massive Crocasium Stadium and lots of fun to be had for all ages a trip to Queensland would not be complete without a visit to Australia Zoo.

Read the rest of this entry »

Great balls of fire

crown-casino.gif

Melbourne’s Crown Entertainment Complex and Casino is one of the cities favorite playgrounds with tens of thousands trying there luck or grabbing a bite to eat or catching a great show. Crown is one of the largest casinos in the Southern Hemisphere and gives most of the Vegas lounges a run for their money with over half a kilometer of entertainment and fun, with gaming, restaurants, bars, theatres, clubs and botiques plus two of Melbourne’s most luxurious hotels. Several times a night from sunset the waterfront forecourts of the Crown complex explode with huge fireballs. The balls of flame explode into the night air enthralling the watching crowd and worrying a few low flying ducks and seagulls.

Read the rest of this entry »

La Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

la-basilique-du-sacre-coeur.gif

Like the Eiffel Tower the La Basilique du Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre is one of Paris’s most known structures. Built over 40 years and opening in 1919 this breathtaking Catholic church is one of the worlds most stunning and beautiful. And the spectacular views of Paris are absolutely amazing night and day.
As this is one of Paris’s most popular attractions there are many people who try to prey on the unaware tourist. Pickpockets are everywhere so are people trying to tie string around your finger only to charge you for cutting you loose. These people are best ignored, and most of the illegal souvenir sellers are overcharging, buy your trinkets in the local streets below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Old Town Hall Marketplace

prague old town hall marketIf you are looking for some interesting souvenirs and nick knacks from Prague look no further than the Green outside the Old Town Hall. The area has been set up as a marketplace will small stall holders selling everything from religious statues to tea towels and spoons and a great selection of bohemian glassware and matryoshka the Russian nesting dolls. The Green was once the north wing of the town hall but in 1945 as the German forces were leaving Prague they thought it was silly taking all their unused ammunition back to Berlin so they decided to use it destroying the Town Hall. It received extensive damage and the north wing was never replaced.

Free accomodation for gopher hunters

In today’s world where Eco Tourism is all the rage, it is interesting to see some Distructo Tourism becoming popular. The Canada’s CBC recently reported how a plague of gophers are attacking farmers crops across the country, leading farmers to invite gun lovers to stay at their homes free of charge as long as they shoot small furry animals all day long. This new form of tourism has proved popular with both hunters and farmers happy about the outcome, unless you are a gopher its a win – win situation. There is also the problem of thousands of dead and rotting critters stinking up the place but at least their not munching on the farmers crops.

Read the rest of this entry »